Coburn Goes After NFL, Tax Exempt Status

Fiscal hawk Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is known primarily for attacking reckless and duplicate spending programs in an effort to get our nation’s budgetary woes under control through spending cuts.

However, in the NFL and other professional sports leagues, he may have found some revenue enhancements. The Republican senator is hoping to go after the tax exempt status of the NFL and other leagues currently classified as “non-profits.” The NHL and PGA would also fall into this category.

Coburn estimates that re-classifying the NFL would bring in as much as $91 million per year in additional revenue.

This is not the first time the NFL’s status has come under assault. During the lockout in 2011, NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith used the line of attack as a smear against the owners. It is unclear what kind of support Coburn has nor how the issue would immediately impact the NFL if such a change were to come into effect.